Are Express Crusiers going the way of the Dodo Bird?

TonyG13

@Black_Diamond - Totally agree with you about pontoons on Lake Michigan. If I'm crossing - or even shore hugging - I'd rather have the safety of a cruiser class than a pontoon when things get hairy. And we know that could happen rather quickly on the lake. One of the first rules of safety in dangerous weather is to send passengers below deck. Can't do that in a pontoon. 

As for the Cruisers brand, at least they don't start enclosing their cockpits until the ~40' range. I just don't understand the fully enclosed cockpit in under 35' LOA boats. Don't people want to feel the wind in their hair?

Stodge

We've discussed our next boat and it's gonna be a trawler.  

Wonder if Rinker will add that to the product line.

raybo3

I would assume that boats that sell on their "own" would not have to be at a boat show unless there is a major discount on it. IMO most (certainly not all) boats at the boat show are boats trying to be pushed for sale. So it seems to me that dealers are pushing pontoons.............. Just say'n 

Glassguy54

Pontoons - no matter how much you try to polish a turd, its still a turd.

trip_n

you know whats really funny ... i talk with people and you tell them about spending the night on your boat..@ the dock or in a cove
they just cant understand ...why

Michael T

Lots of pontoons have heads - even pump-out models that meet C.G. certification.

Michael T

Four Winns Horizon 350. Google it! 2x350 HP Mercury supercharged Verados with Axius. Huge cockpit 4 captains chairs that face forward and rotate, massive storage locker where I?Os would be. Very attractive cabin. beautiful head with power vent fan........I can see this sell like crazy. You could overnight on it for sure or just dock it at a marina and stay in a hotel. IMO this is a faaar better day boat that a cruiser and would be a lot better for most families because of the much better IMO flexibility. Also great swim platform. Maybe this is the future?

TonyG13

Saw this Four Winns at the boat show. Nice looking boat, but IMHO you could not overnight or weekend on it unless the weather was perfect and you slept topsides. The photos are deceiving. You have to be a contortionist to use the head and the sleeping area - and both are extremely claustrophobic. 

davidbrooks

I would have to say that at least 2/3 of the time i am on my boat it never leaves the dock.  Whether doing maintenance or just using it as a floating office I spend time down below.  I don't think i would ever buy a boat without one again.  Now the topic of an enclosed cockpit gets interesting.  I would love to have one, absolutely love it.  Only if i had the ability to open it up considerably.  I can live without the ability to walk through the windshield but the aft would need to open up completely and side windows as much as possible.  The days are rare that i don't have some form of canvas up and i would absolutely love to be canvas free.  Now just need that powerball ticket to come in so i can afford it.  Till then i will be over here tugging on this canvas trying to get it snapped down.

mattie

Michael T said:

Four Winns Horizon 350. Google it! 2x350 HP Mercury supercharged Verados with Axius. Huge cockpit 4 captains chairs that face forward and rotate, massive storage locker where I?Os would be. Very attractive cabin. beautiful head with power vent fan........I can see this sell like crazy. You could overnight on it for sure or just dock it at a marina and stay in a hotel. IMO this is a faaar better day boat that a cruiser and would be a lot better for most families because of the much better IMO flexibility. Also great swim platform. Maybe this is the future?

https://www.boattest.com/review/four-winns/3829_horizon-350-ob

Ian

Glassguy54 said:

Pontoons - no matter how much you try to polish a turd, its still a turd.

Never tried to polish a turd before..... 

LaRea

dalek said:

Jet capsule UFO-2 houseboat.

That's just plain retarded.

Michael T

@Dream_Inn .....time will tell. The only cruisers that are selling in my area (that would be at least 25 big dealers within a 4 hour drive) are the very big cruisers - 50 footers +. The market for 30 to 40 foot cruisers is d-e-a-d. The two types of expensive boats that dealers can't keep in stock are  high-end wake board/surfing boats and expensive day cruisers (35 feet or less....in other words BIG runabouts). By expensive I mean $120K - $300K .The cruisers that are selling are all in the 1 million range. As someone said in this forum the new mantra for the 25-45 year old crowd is having an experience....and when asked it does not include sleeping and cooking on a boat - they seem to define that as ripping around the lake then heading to land for the night. As Raybo says ....."just sayin'". BTW in my area the market for used cruisers in the 30-40 foot market seems dead too.

Glassguy54

We sold our sport boat (2007 246 Captiva - 350 MAG MPI, Bravo III) which we loved in order to finance our grand daughter's college education (she has lived with us for the past 5 years due to an untenable family situation which I could write volumes about), but we dream of one day owning a  full displacement hull trawler style boat to do the great loop. Speed is not a priority. It's all about the journey.

Stodge

trip_n said:

you know whats really funny ... i talk with people and you tell them about spending the night on your boat..@ the dock or in a cove
they just cant understand ...why

It's because they have never waken up, gone up on deck and watched the lake wake up around them.  They haven't experienced the quiet of a night where you have nobody around you for half a mile or more.  It's a little like camping if you go way out away from people, not to camp sites.  You could do the same with an RV I guess and see some of the same things.  But at the end of the day I don't think there is anything that can compare to experiencing a night on the hook.  We're especially spoiled having the Great Lakes to boat on.  There have to be thousands of miles of shoreline that I can get to.  The only limit is time and gas money.

Dream_Inn

@stodge, I couldn't have said it any better. Fortunately, our area is still a huge cruiser style market still. I actually got an email over the holiday break to call Gary/Hawk at our local Rinker dealer. Had a nice long chat with them about some events that they and Rinker want to work me on for the summer. Our dealership sold more Rinkers last year (including half dozen 370s) than any other. They actually just got out of the Four Winns market (they had both FW and Rinker

Michael T

If you want a cruiser in the under 40 foot range Rinker would be my choice - no question - and it was, twice. Can't beat the strength of the Rinker hull, huge cabin head-room and accessories for the price. In that bracket Rinker is a head's down winner. Trouble is where I boat and travel to, that segment has just disappeared with the next generation. With anyone aged 40 years and under its wake/surf boats and fast day cruisers. There are undoubtedly still a few pockets where 30 -40 foot dedicated overnight cruisers are getting sold but I believe that segment is disappearing. Since i live adjacent to two marinas and keep our Waverunner at a third I talk to a lot of people - talking boats is just pure fun.  We can wish all we want for what was but IMO the next generation seems to have different priorities - even those whose parents had cruisers. Like I said - time will tell.

Michael T

BoatTest.com   .....Formula 430 SSC - the future?

Handymans342

The future for rich people

Michael T

Yes, and Steve, since the "middle class" seems to have almost disappeared I think the big cruisers - at least new ones - will be for the rich. 

Michael T

Al - the guys at one of my favorite marinas sure love the surf/wake boats - the maintenance on those drive trains is ongoing and would bankrupt most mortals. There was a new wake/surf boat for sale for $250K USD near me. Geez - 250K WTF????? A lot of money to convince the kids to stay at the cottage. I guess that's why the parents I know call them "cottage keepers".

JoeStang

I think the middle class has been out-priced from new boats, cruisers included. Pontoons are popular because the space to $$ is awesome, and people dont want or need to sleep on their boat that often.

I could have bought a used cruiser for the money I spent on my brand new 276 cuddy, but I wanted more cockpit space vs. down below area.

I think the bigger issue for cruisers is that you can have a 35 footer that is only comfortable for 4 or 5 people for a day trip. No one spends time below on a nice day. Its all about the cockpit, sun pad, and swim platform.

Dream_Inn

I agree Joe.  Middle class definitely can't afford new (or know that they keep the spare change for gas).

Pontoons are really that great day time party boat.  They have been selling more in my area, but you really don't see them come out of the rivers.

As far as only comfortable for 4 or 5 people, there really isn't any boat that I can say is comfortable for more than 5 people.  I like the space, but again, when I'm out on the boat, it's generally for at least a long weekend.  I will say, the bow on the cruisers also do work nice for lounging.  But really, the best seat in the house is the nice large one on the back of the swim platform when anchored!

My uncle used to really have it best.  He lived out in AZ and boated on Lake Pleasant.  Kept a 40'ish houseboat there.  He would take it out and anchor (usually tie between two shorelines due to the depth), then raft up his 20 ft bowrider and two jetskis.  Kind of the best of it all!

Michael T

Having had a 2013 EC 310 and a 2014 EC 360 - which we loved, we now have a high performance supercharged cruiser personal water craft (2018 Yamaha SVHO Cruiser). We trailer it wherever we want. Spend a great day on the water visiting waterfront restaurants, dock it, go to a restaurant for dinner, then spend the night in a hotel and repeat. Our cruisers were at least $1,000.00 to fill with gas. This wouldn't even last one round trip. If we stayed on the hook it still cost big $ to run the generator for AC, ice etc. If we moored at a marina then it would be about the same cost as staying on the hook and running the generator. Alternative - day boat and go home or stay in a local waterfront hotel. No big $ tied-up in the purchase price of a big cruiser, insurance, maintenance, storage and more important to many - big amounts of time working on them!  Soooo I am NOT criticizing cruising as a lifestyle I am just saying I understand why some of the younger generation are looking for alternatives. You spend the night on land at a hotel with a pool, see a movie, go to dinner and spend the next day on the water. Trailer it home wash it off and park it at home. I guess I have returned almost full circle to my early boating days LOL!

Handymans342

Wow MT, finally someone woke up

Handymans342

I can hook up, go anywhere, even spend a night at an RV/marina and rent a boat like at Table Rock Lake for example. I have my King bed, toilet, kitchen, big screen and I dont have to run my generator!!

LaRea

Day boats will not replace cruisers any time soon.  There are too many things that day boats just can't do.  

The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have almost 12,000 miles of coastline.  Within 1-2 days cruise from my marina, there are probably a thousand anchorages and marinas to explore.  What fraction of that do you think I'd ever see if I owned a toon?  

Heck, I couldn't even watch DC's fireworks on a day boat.  Well, technically I could, but I'd have to stay sober, and then cruise home in the dark dodging hundreds of impatient drunk know-nothing idiots.  No thanks, I'll spend the night please.  

Dream_Inn

I always like it when evening comes, anchored in a favorite local spot.  Start up the grill, and before long, all the runabouts leave smelling my dinner!

trip_n

  

Ian

Dream_Inn said:

I always like it when evening comes, anchored in a favorite local spot.  Start up the grill, and before long, all the runabouts leave smelling my dinner!

Your cooking that bad?